Tech Corner - The Problem With "Legacy"

The problem with "legacy" software - especially in the case of an ISV - is that the people using it are "used to it." They've already spent years going through the infancy of the product, through the new releases, the "buggy" releases, the "stable" releases and have now rested on the version that meets their needs. The problem is - it may not be the most current version.

People are resistant to change. They want to do what is comfortable, go to the same restaurant, get the same thing off the menu - because they've had it before.

Change is hard.

But often necessary.

If you don't change, you stagnate. It's bad enough in the "real" world - and forget about the technology sector. There are new acronyms and new paradigms every other month. There are young, hungry companies with zero technology bias, starting from scratch, with nothing to lose, nothing to convert and zero installed base. In short, they have no legacy to support.

A lot of ISVs have a problem. The 4GL that they've based their entire system on is either hopelessly out of date (Delphi, Oracle Forms); not being supported anymore (FoxPro); have a proprietary, non-SQL database (FileMaker, Progress, Access, Alpha 5); and/or have no way to support modern, standards-based technologies (web services, XML, HTML, PDF, etc.).

There are only two ways to go if you find yourself in that position:

1. Do nothing and continue doing what you're doing
   
2. Completely re-write your application in another more modern tool/technology

Option 1 is attractive because it doesn't involve any change on your part or your customers. The danger is that a new competitor will emerge without the legacy and packed full of the technologies and standards that customers are demanding.

Option 2 is painful. It involves a learning curve, re-training customers, data conversion and much more. The payoff is that you re-vitalize your existing customer base, gain new market share, and continue to have the ability to provide value to your shareholders, employees and end customers.

It's a tough business decision, and by not deciding, you've already made your choice.